1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device for collecting blood having a needle containment safety apparatus and method for protecting medical personnel and others from the risk of accidental percutaneous needlestick injuries.
2. Background of the Invention
Because there are risks associated with accidental needle sticks to a medical person collecting blood, a variety of safety blood collection syringes have been developed. Most of these syringes have a safety shield that slides over an extended needle after the blood is collected. The safety shield may be held in place by a spring, friction, locking tabs or other means. However many of these safety devices require the person to manually place or move the protective shield over the needle thereby providing an opportunity, though slight, for an accidental needle stick.
A safety blood collection and transfer device of McCallister, U.S. Pat. No. 6,360,011 is designed to accept a vacuum type blood tube (vacutainer) for collecting blood. McCallister""s invention requires two double pointed needles coupled to each end of a plunger with a hollow core. In addition, a cylindrical syringe and a blood tube holder are required. However the user is required to remove and replace a needle cover providing a slight chance of a stick.
The hypodermic safety device of Lockwood, U.S. Pat. No. 5,403,286 is an example of a device having an extendable cover for user protection. Lockwood""s invention has an extension apparatus attached to a standard hypodermic needle that places or disposes a protective cover over an extended needle when a compressed spring is manually released. Lockwood""s patent, in a prior art review, discusses much of the prior art related to protective covers and then describes the improvements provided by his invention.
There is a need to new approach for a blood collection device. The present invention does not use an extendable cover, but retracts the needle within a disposable syringe body. A novel device for blood collection, described herein, is less complex than existing and convention devices, is easy to use, and should cost less than most existing devices.
A blood collection device, that is adapted for use with conventional blood collection tubes (xe2x80x9cvacutainerxe2x80x9d) and does not have the complexity of prior art blood collection syringes, has been invented. The blood collection device is easy to operate and is an improvement over prior art devices.
A blood collection device for use with a conventional collection tube is comprised of a syringe assembly and a sealing assembly. The syringe assembly comprises a syringe body having a tapered distal end and adapted for holding a slidable needle assembly wherein the needle assembly comprises a needle carrier and a double pointed needle, the syringe assembly further has a syringe top, securely attached to the proximal end of the syringe body, for containing the needle assembly within the syringe body. The sealing assembly has an occluding seal inside a cavity of an insertable cylinder that is adapted for pushing the needle assembly towards the distal end of the syringe body or for pulling the needle assembly towards the proximal end of the syringe body. When the occluding seal and seal of the collection tube are punctured by the proximal point of the needle (the distal point of the needle is used to puncture a vein), as the collection tube is pushed into place for blood collection, blood flows into the collection tube. When the collection tube is removed from the insertable cylinder the occluding seal blocks (occludes) blood from contaminating the proximal end of the blood collection device.